Source Code
by TempeGeller
Summary: Two opposites will find each other on a project of a lifetime.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey_

 _In library school, we have a course how to build a website. I learned that you could hide secret messages in the source code of a site, that is how I got the idea for this story. I was like, what if Eliza and Maria communicate while building a website for Alexander Hamilton. And I thought it would make a great story; I hope you agree._

 _Tempe_

 _DISCLAIMER: I don't own Eliza Schuyler or anyone mentioned in this story. They were real people, but in my story, they are based on an interpretation of them in the musical 'Hamilton.' So I know Maria is younger than Eliza and I choose to ignore this, making them the same age. I gave myself creative freedom when it came to this. I hope you understand._

* * *

 **Chapter one: under pressure**

 _"Truth can only be found in one place: the code."_  
 _― Robert C. Martin,_

 **Eliza Schuyler**

I knew I was a programmer, they day I was born. I can't explain how I knew it, I've always seen the world in code. For some reason, I looked to color as hexadecimal. I never saw red; I saw #ff0000. I knew that before I was born. I don't know why the I could understand the language of a computer easier; then I understood English. It was something I could never understand. From the moment I was able to hold a computer, I understood the machine better then I understood the people in front of me. I preferred to spend my time learning to programme than socializing with anyone else.

My parents never liked that. They expected too much of me since I was a child. I was always was pushed in a certain direction. I was meant to go to Stanford, not Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I was meant to have a lot of friends; I was a loner. I was meant to be a star, but they looked at me as a rebel. My father, Philip, always told me I needed to be better. I needed to get higher marks; I needed to become more involved in charity. I needed to spend less time on my computer.  
If it were up to my father, there wouldn't be enough hours in a day to sleep and to relax. The pressure I felt was too much. I was not sure how long I would handle it.

My sister, Angelica, was the same, she used to say she was choking and she wouldn't be able to handle it for very long. I remembered when Angelica left home, it was about three was but eighteen years old; it was late in the evening when I caught her sneaking out of the window.  
"Angie, you know father doesn't like it when you sneak out." , I said. "You don't know what he'll do when you return."  
"I'm not returning, Betsey," Angelica replied. "And if you were smart, you would get away from him too. If you don't, …"  
"If I don't know what…"  
I remember that John Baker was driving the car that day, Angelica looked back from the car window. I had hardly ever seen her after that moment. Every day I missed having Angelica in the house. Every day my father would talk about my sister that had disappointed him. Angelica was never mentioned in pride; it almost seemed my sister had ran off with the enemy. Little did I know that my mind was thinking about the very same thing.

I had another sister, Peggy was only two years younger than me. When Peggy was born, she was named Margarita. Peggy was the star of their family; she was studying in Stanford. She was everything that I was supposed to be. Angelica, Peggy and I had always been close. And even now we talked every night. They always told me to follow my dreams, but I never knew if I could do it.  
I didn't know if I could survive without the financial support of my parents.

* * *

 **Maria Lewis**

Where I come from, people don't expect anything from you. My future lay in the diner down the street, where my mother worked. Mom always said I should get used to the idea of being a waitress; she said I didn't have the brains to do anything else. I was pretty, without any substance. I learned that when I was pretty young.  
I remember when I asked my mother if I could become anything I wanted.

'Pretty girls like you, won't become anything. You're too pretty to be smart." , she said. "You're not pretty enough to model.'

So I spent my life believing I could never become anything in my life. So I didn't try at all. I was not motivated in school or life. I spent every moment failing in some way. I had bad grades, I wasn't motivated to be involved in any causes, and I didn't have any friends. I proved my mother that I would never become anything. Yet I remember one moment in life pretty well, the local library was organizing a course in programming. I was fifteen years old and found the first thing I was good at. It was the day I fell in love for the first time. I spent time making money so I could finance my love.

I didn't finish high school, and after that, I started working as a waitress. I think the words of my mother always played on my mind. I didn't go to university. She was right; I didn't become anyone. In my past time I paid for courses in programming, I tried to accomplish something in my life.

I wished the golden opportunity would come, but I knew there was no such thing. People like me didn't get what they wanted. How I dreamed of parents that believed in me. If I had those parents maybe I wouldn't be sitting in the bad part of Los Angeles, hoping that I could get out. Maybe I would have a diploma. Maybe just maybe I would be someone. Maybe I would have a great computer, not the computer that could hardly handle my programming. And a small robot that could only do minor jobs around the house.

Maybe I would be someone. I hoped for an opportunity. At the same time, I hoped for love.

* * *

 **Eliza Schuyler**

My parents always said they weren't proud that I was a freestyle programmer. They said I could have been a doctor or a lawyer. They said they wished I had been better, smarter, stronger. For some reason, they would have preferred if I was a street fighter. Anything better than a computer programmer. I always said the most successful people were computer programmers. I told they I could create anything I wanted and then they would say, I hadn't. I had small jobs; I saved up money to improve my equipment.

That evening, I sat in the dining room. My sister, Peggy, was visiting for dinner.  
"So Peggy how is Stanford?" My father asked her.  
"It's fine." She smiled. "It's always fine. Betsey, I heard of Angie. She's fine. Father, don't you think we should go see Angie's show, she's starring in a small musical off Broadway."  
He didn't say a word, almost like he didn't hear Peggy's words. I wanted to react; I wanted to say that Angelica wanted to be an actress since the day she was young. I wanted to scream that he should see that. And all of the sudden I did.  
"Father, Angie has worked her ass off," I screamed. "And if you had any respect for your daughter, you would be in the audience opening night."  
"I don't like the theater."

"She's your daughter, for…" I raised my voice even louder. "Mother, please show that you have something to say. Or are you just as a hypocrite as him?"  
"Elizabeth, don't talk to your mother like that."  
I felt the pressure get to me. I heard my heart beating in my head; I felt my blood boil underneath my skin. I felt like I could no longer handle this.  
"I'm done with this…" I stood up. "You say you don't like the theater, then why has my life been a play since the first day. You've always told me I had to be better. Right now I see, it is you who should be better."  
"Sit down, Elizabeth."

"No, father." I had tears in my eyes. "I've always done what you wanted me to do. I went to a great university, but it wasn't good enough. I have a job, that could support me. I'm never good enough; today I stop trying to please you. Angie left without a word, but not me. I'm done, I'm moving out father. I will make it on my own."  
"Elizabeth, don't…"  
"I'm out before the end of the week."

Peggy looked at me, as I stood up. I walked into my room, closed the door and opened my computer. Now all I needed to do was find an apartment. Maybe I hadn't thought about this, but I wouldn't change my mind. I was leaving.

* * *

 **Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey_

 _New chapter, I wanted to thank_ ScGonzaga _. I loved your review; I wanted to try something new. And for a_ while _, I thought people didn't get reviews for this story. Your review was charming and sweet. And you deserve all the best in the world._

 _To KittyKiwi1256, PaperPlanes16, RebelNerdAwesome,_ ScGonzaga _, Xichu, DamnfanficWriter, JLYSjoan, KittyKiwi1256 and Tinkerbell-Addams. Thank you for_ favouriting _or following this story. You are also very amazing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter._

 _Please leave a review; it doesn't matter how long._

 _Tempe_

* * *

 **Chapter two: Moving on**

 _Girls you've gotta know when it's time to turn the page._

 _Tori Amos_

 **Eliza Schuyler**

My father told me I was throwing away the family legacy. He said he wouldn't help me anymore. I looked at him while he said those things to me. He had never helped me. I had always done things by myself, but he took credit for everything that I had accomplished. Luckily I could prove that I bought all my computer equipment. If I had counted on my parent's good will, I wouldn't have had a damn thing now.  
When I was taking my stuff together, I wondered where I could go. I hadn't thought about a place to stay, I had enough for an apartment, but where would I find money for more than one month? When I looked up, I noticed that Peggy was standing in the door opening. She walked over to me and gave me the hug I needed.  
"Eliza, where are you going to stay?" She looked at me, full of concern. Where was I going to go? I had no idea. I hadn't thought this through. I had saved up money, but I didn't know where I needed to star looking for a place. I sat down.  
"I don't know." I shook my head. "I'm just going to apologise to dad, maybe he'll…"

"No, Eliza." Peggy looked at me. "You are right; you need to get out of this house. I will follow you some day."  
"Pegs, but I have nowhere to go." I had finally said what I didn't want to think about. I should have thought about this before telling my father I was leaving. Why did I tell him I wanted to leave? I looked at Peggy and touched her hand. I knew Angelica lived in a small house; I could never move in with her. What did I need to do?  
"Eliza, I just got off the phone with a friend of mine." She looked at me. "His name is Lafayette. I asked him if my sister could move into his spare room. He says you can stay as long as you need to."  
"Why would he help me?" I asked her.  
"He's my boyfriend, and I asked him a favour."

I didn't know what to say. Peggy had never told mom and dad about Lafayette. There had to be a reason why she wouldn't tell our parents about her boyfriend. Was something wrong with him? Could I trust this Lafayette? I looked at my feet.  
"If he's your boyfriend, why didn't you bring him home?"  
"The same reason why you still haven't come out to our parents." She looked at me. Off course, she was afraid how our parents would react. If he weren't rich enough, they would think this boy was not good enough for one of their children. I looked at Peggy, was the boy poor?  
"If you wonder, he's French." She replied. "Father doesn't have a good opinion of anyone who's not American. He's a foreign exchange student; his parents are loaded. They're renting an apartment for him down town."  
"And he…"  
"He doesn't expect you to pay rent," Peggy replied. "He does expect that you'll help around the house. He's quite busy studying."  
"I will be the best roommate he has ever had."

She touched my hand than she left my room. I had to stop thinking of this room as mine. After this day it would no longer belong to me. I started putting my clothes in a box. There was a knock at the door, and mom entered the room. I didn't look at her; I simply packed my clothes.  
"Betsey, please, can't you stay?"  
"Not if dad looks down on all of us." I took a few of my dresses and placed them in the suitcase. I would decide how I would move later. That was not something I needed to do now. I didn't look at my mother, as I took the suitcase I used to move my electronics. I didn't care what mom had to say; I knew she was here to make me stay. I knew if I stayed, I would never be able to do what I wanted. Father had been talking about going to school again. I had no interest in school anymore. I had finished my programming course, and I knew enough to find a job. That didn't mean anything to him. I didn't have a degree of a lawyer. I wasn't a doctor. That was all he cared about.

"Eliza, is it that hard to go to med school?" She looked at me. "Or become a lawyer? It's important for your dad. You know what he lost when Angelica left."  
"It's not my fault that father did not become a doctor." I looked at her. "He should not live through his daughters."  
"You're throwing away your future."

"No, I'm not, mother."

I closed the suitcase and placed it next to the box of my clothes. I had book cases full of books, and I didn't look forward to taking them. Mother left my room; I didn't look at her. I packed everything that evening, and as the boxes were packed, I got in my bed. I closed my eyes as I tried to forget the future.

* * *

 **Maria Lewis**

If it were up to my parents, I would have no education. I wouldn't have ambitions, and I would be a beautiful trophy wife to some midclass man, with a big attitude. If it were up to my parents, I would be eye candy. Before that happened, I was meant to work in the diner.  
My parents were not rich, growing up I was always that girl from the poor neighbourhood. They didn't give me a second glace; neither did teachers. When I did well in school, it was mentioned. So I stopped trying.

In school, I had no friends because the kids wouldn't give me a second glance. I was a lonely child and my parents never really wanted to spend time with me. People at the diner were friendly, but I couldn't seem to get any lasting relationships. In a way, I was always standing still. For me the first thing I loved was programming. Everything was so much simpler when it came to computers. The code was straight forward, it was right, or it was wrong. There was no in between. With people, there was only in betweens. Everything was grey. And I could not find single person to fall back on. I was alone.

I never had someone that cared for me. I worked in the small diner at the end of the street, and I didn't have hope that my life would ever be better. I finished my programming courses at the local school, but I kept dreaming of a university degree. That would be amazing; I could prove that I was smart. I could prove to my mother I was more than she expected of me. The only downside was that I didn't have any money to make something of myself.

A few months had passed since I worked in the diner. And my parents had started meeting with my future husband. They didn't ask me anything, that was how things went in my family. They decided I should get married and I got married. Luckily I didn't get married yet. I hadn't even met James Reynolds, but I knew him by reputation. He was an aggressive man. Someone who was known to get in a lot of fights. My parents told me he was miles above me. My parents told me that it was my only way to make myself better. And I believed them.  
"You're meeting James next week."

* * *

 **Eliza Schuyler**

Peggy had always been there for me. People always mentioned how witty she was, but they always forget her loyalty. She's been the rock in my life since Angelica left. She's that person you can wake up in the middle of the night, where Angelica was cranky Peggy would never raise her voice. Where Angelica would try to find a solution right away, Peggy would just listen. Where Angelica tried to be the big sister, Peggy was just a sister. And it wasn't that I loved Peggy more than Angelica. I went to Peggy in different circumstances. If I wanted someone to stand up for me, I needed Angelica.

Peggy was quiet, sweet and one of the best people you could have in your life. She helped me pack my bags. We laughed about pictures as I put them away. I looked at Peggy.  
"When are you going to tell mom and dad about Lafayette?"  
"When are you going to come out?"

I was quiet. I always wondered when I figured out I liked girls. I don't know what I started to notice boys instead of girls. I don't know when I had my first crush. I assume it didn't come all at once. When I was young, I used to think I felt attracted to boys. It was what people told you to do; girls were supposed to like boys. Well, at first we were supposed to hate them. Then slowly we were supposed to like them. So I convince myself I had a crush on a popular boy. I convinced myself that I thought Alexander Hamilton was popular. Alexander Hamilton was your average Disney star. He had this very popular epic Disney musical trilogy. I think it was around the third movie when I finally realized it was the girls that I was attracted to. I never came out publicly. I never had a reason to. I only told my family the truth. There was never any hate. Angelica and Peggy accepted me. Right then I knew they were the best siblings I could dream of.

"This is the last bag," Peggy said as the put my last dress in it. The big furniture we already placed in the moving van. Only this bag had to be placed inside. I looked at my empty room. I didn't want to leave here; I had been home in that house in the busy streets of Albany was no longer my home. I wanted to cry; I was leaving home. My life would change forever.

* * *

 **Maria Lewis**

I ran to my room. I promised myself I wouldn't cry. I wouldn't cry in front of my parents; they didn't deserve my tears. When I entered my room, my tears came. I didn't want to marry James Reynolds. I was better than I man that was known to be violent. I deserved true love. Didn't I? Or was it the truth? Did I truly deserve nothing better than a man like James Reynolds? Were people right about me? Was I nothing?

* * *

 _Quick question: What musical trilogy did Alexander Hamilton star in? And what is it about? Be Creative!_


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